Low power radio communication system

ABSTRACT

A method significantly reduces the average power for radio communication in a communication system, such as a system that has applications requiring low communication latency. The method may use a low power radio communication circuit (e.g., a non-heterodyne receiver) to wait for a communication request, taking advantage of the low power consumption of the radio communication circuit. Subsequent to receiving and validating the communication request, the communication system may switch to a more efficient—but higher power—communication circuit. Thus, effective communication is achieved without making undesirable tradeoffs, such as reduced sensitivity.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/500,587, filed on Jul. 9, 2009, entitled “LOW POWER RADIOCOMMUNICATION SYSTEM,” incorporated herein by reference in its entiretyfor all purposes, which claims priority of U.S. provisional patentapplication No. 61/079,435 filed on Jul. 9, 2008, incorporated herein byreference in its entirety, for all purposes.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to an improved radiocommunication system suitable for an apparatus that has an energy budgetconstraint.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Recently, many mobile appliances have been equipped with RFcommunication capabilities, which provide increased functionalities andopportunities for novel applications. A key problem, however, is theneed to often change or charge batteries due to the high energyrequirements of RF communication. Short battery life is a major obstaclethat precludes the technical viability needed to create new innovativeproducts.

Recent advances in signal processing allow flexible tradeoffs in thedesign of RF communication circuits, such as throughput, sensitivity,signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and bit-error rate (BER).

The Shannon-Hartley theorem predicts, for a given information channelcapacity, a tradeoff between bandwidth and transmitted power (Wikipedia:Shannon-Hartley Theorem); generally, broader bandwidth use allows lowertransmission power, or a higher data rate requires higher transmissionpower. Normally, a tradeoff between bandwidth efficiency and transmittedpower is realized by processing gain using high-speed digital signallogic circuits. While this approach improves efficiency during activecommunication, the overall power consumption remains high due to thereceiver's long operating period. During operation, significant power isexpended to listen for asynchronous transmissions. This power and energyload is most pronounced in small mobile devices and is very difficult toreduce due to competing laws of physics. Polling style communication,for example, has been developed to reduce the duty cycle of thecontinuous link between participating radios. Other approaches, such asactive communication and burst-synchronized polling at regularintervals, may be used to reduce average power. (See, e.g., FIG. 1,which shows typical average power consumption as a function ofpercentage duty cycle in transmitters and heterodyne or non-heterodynereceivers).

In the detailed description below, the term “latency” refers to thedelay between the time an information source is ready to sendinformation and the time the information is actually received by areceiver. The term “asynchronous communication” refers to a protocol bywhich a transmitter device initiates communication with a receiver atany time, without regard to any constraint of local time, or a clocksignal, or the state of an intended receiver device. That is, inasynchronous communication the transmitter device initiates transmissionat will, independent of the timing at the receiver.

For an appliance that communicates infrequently but demands low latencyasynchronous communication, reducing average power consumption byreducing active radio duty-cycle is constrained by the competing latencyrequirements. This phenomenon is one example of the conflict betweenfunctional requirements and battery life.

In the context of the present disclosure, the term ‘appliance’ refers toan apparatus or a device that performs a specific function or set offunctions, and that further includes within its structure a radiocommunication apparatus, a radio communication system or a radioapparatus, as further described herein. One example of an appliance inthis context is a wireless garage door opener.

Heterodyne detection is a method for detecting an electromagnetic signalusing a reference frequency. The heterodyne method uses a non-linearfrequency mixing effect to beat a locally generated reference signalwith the received signal, in the process translating the received signalcarrier frequency to a different frequency. The reference signal sourceis also known in the art as the “local oscillator” (LO). The nonlineardevice that combines the received signal and the local oscillator isknown as the ‘mixer’ in the art of radio communication. Heterodyne-basedreceivers exhibit excellent selectivity and sensitivity.

Reduction of power consumption in a heterodyne receiver is limited bythe power that is required to operate the high-frequency LO that, inturn, drives the mixer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method for significantly reducing theaverage power for radio communication, particularly in applications thatrequire low communication latency. According to one embodiment, themethod realizes a low power radio communication system using anon-heterodyne receiver, taking advantage of low power consumption,without making undesirable tradeoffs such as reduced sensitivity.

The present invention uses a non-heterodyne receiver to determinewhether a communication partner is attempting to establish communicationwith it. In the process, the receiver may learn necessary information toestablish communication with that partner. The device then powers ‘on’ ahigher performance heterodyne-based radio communication system (albeitone that consumes higher power) to communicate with the partner.

The Shannon-Hartley theorem provides a basis for increasing sensitivityof a non-heterodyne receiver, at the expense of lower data rate (i.e.,lower information throughput) at a specified BER. Thus, thenon-heterodyne receiver may require more time to correctly identify adistant communication partner. Once the higher performance receiver, ortransmitter, or transceiver, is powered ‘on’ however, data may beexchanged at a higher data rate and lower BER.

The poorer BER of the non-heterodyne receiver may sometime inadvertentlyresult in powering ‘on’ the higher performance receiver (or transmitter,or transceiver), particularly when the chosen communication protocolrequires a response to a signal received by the non-heterodyne receiver.The non-heterodyne receiver may progressively engage higher, moresophisticated modulation techniques and matching demodulators (which mayrequire higher operating power) to increase effective data communicationrate or to reduce BER. Thus, the present invention provides a compositewaveform with a hierarchy of modulation procedures used by anon-heterodyne receiver, in which higher performance radio communicationcircuits of successively higher operational power are successivelyengaged, involving successively lower energy per bit—thus higher datarate communication—as part of the communication protocol. This hierarchyreduces the probability of unintended communication being triggered bycommunication errors, noise or signal interference. This method can beseamlessly employed to sequentially engage a hierarchy of radio devicecircuits that otherwise consume excessive power if left on butoperationally idle, which may result in unacceptably delayedcommunication if they are operated at a low duty cycle.

For communication between a stationary device and a mobile device,battery energy load can be traded between the two devices. Thus, in oneembodiment, the stationary device may transmit a long composite signalwith a long information payload to reduce the probability of false wakeup of the mobile device, thus conserving battery energy of the mobiledevice. In yet another embodiment, the stationary device transmits ashort, composite signal with a smaller information payload, thusreducing its own battery drain. In this configuration, the mobile devicehas a higher probability of false wake up relative to the previousembodiment, thereby resulting in greater battery drain.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, an “Extreme LowPower” (ELP) radio communication system and a method may be realized ina “multi-layered” or “multi-tier” radio communication system. In amulti-layered or multi-tier radio communication system, the presentinvention provides a hierarchy in which higher performance radiocommunication systems of successively higher operational power aresuccessively engaged, involving successively high data ratecommunication as part of the communication protocol.

The present invention is better understood upon consideration of thedetailed description below in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows typical average power consumption of a radio communicationsystem as a function of percentage duty cycle in a low powertransmitter, a heterodyne receiver, and a non-heterodyne receiver.

FIG. 2 illustrates an ELP radio communication system, showing appliances1 and 21 communicating over an electromagnetic communication link withone another

FIG. 3 shows an ELP radio communication system similar to the ELP radiocommunicating system of FIG. 2, except that Tier-1 circuit 4 and Tier 2circuit 3 in ELP Radio Apparatus 2, belonging to Appliance #3, share acommon antenna, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 shows a third ELP radio communication system, in which Tier-1circuit 34 of ELP radio apparatus 32 in Appliance #5 lacks anon-heterodyne receiver, and Tier-1 circuit 44 of ELP radio apparatus 42in Appliance #6 lacks a transmitter, in accordance with one embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a fourth ELP radio communication system similar to the ELPradio communicating system of FIG. 4, except that Tier-1 circuit 34 andTier 2 circuit 3 in ELP radio apparatus 52, belonging to Appliance #7,share a common antenna, and Tier-1 circuit 44 and Tier 2 circuit 23 inELP radio apparatus 42, belonging to Appliance #8, share a commonantenna, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6( a) shows a fifth ELP radio communication system similar to theELP radio communicating system of FIG. 5, except that Tier-2 circuit 63of ELP radio apparatus 62, belonging to Appliance #9, lacks atransmitter and Tier-2 circuit 73 of ELP radio apparatus 72, belongingto Appliance #10, lacks a receiver, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 6( b) shows a sixth ELP radio communication system similar to theELP radio communication system depicted in FIG. 5, except that Appliance#11 uses a common transmitter circuit 88 that fulfills transceiverfunctions of Tier-2 circuit 83, as well as serving as transmitter forTier-1 circuit 84, in accordance with another embodiment.

FIG. 6( c) shows a seventh ELP radio communication system similar to theone depicted in FIG. 6( b) except that Appliance #14 (element 91) hasTier-2 circuit 93 and Tier-1 circuit 94 using a common transmittercircuit 95, according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6( d) shows an eighth ELP radio communication system similar to theone depicted in FIG. 3 except that

-   -   a. Tier-1 circuit 94 and Tier-2 circuit 93 in ELP radio        apparatus 92, belonging to Appliance #16, share a common        antenna.    -   b. Appliance #15 uses a common transmitter circuit 88 that        fulfills transceiver functions of Tier-2 circuit 83, as well as        serving as transmitter for Tier-1 circuit 84. Appliance #16        (element 91) has Tier-2 circuit 93 and Tier-1 circuit 94 using a        common transmitter circuit 95, according to another embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows an ELP radio communication system in which a low powernon-heterodyne receiver 100 is used in a Tier-1 circuit of an ELP radiocommunication system.

FIG. 8( a) shows a low power non-heterodyne receiver 800 in oneembodiment of an ELP radio system for receiving a signal that ismodulated directly on the RF carrier frequency (f_(c)).

FIG. 8( b) is a variation of the ELP radio system of FIG. 8( a), withinclusion of low noise RF amplifier 103.

FIG. 9 shows an ELP radio system, including an amplitude modulated (AM)receiver circuit, for use in an environment with strong RF fieldstrength and weak noise or interference sources, according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates an ELP radio system for use with a signal which ismodulated on a sub-carrier, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 11 shows an ELP radio system for use with a signal which is FMmodulated on RF carrier (f_(c)), according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 12 shows an ELP radio system that demodulates an FM modulated, RFcarrier (f_(c)) using a bulk material frequency discriminator, accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows an ELP radio suitable for use in a very simpleenvironment.

FIG. 14( a) shows the spectrum of a signal that is modulated directly onthe RF frequency carrier.

FIG. 14( b) shows the spectrum of a signal that is modulated on asub-carrier.

FIG. 15( a) illustrates an envelope-modulated RF carrier modulationscheme including continuous wave (CW) modulation.

FIG. 15( b) illustrates an envelope-modulated RF carrier modulationscheme including frequency or tone modulation.

FIG. 15( c) illustrates an envelope-modulated RF carrier modulationscheme including PCM coding using OOK modulation.

FIG. 15( d) illustrates an envelope-modulated RF carrier modulationscheme including direct sequence PN coding using OOK modulation.

FIG. 15( e) illustrates an envelope-modulated RF carrier modulationscheme including a composite modulation scheme involving CW and OOKschemes.

FIG. 16( a) illustrates an envelope-modulated signal with sub-carriermodulation including continuous wave (CW) modulation.

FIG. 16( b) illustrates an envelope-modulated signal with sub-carriermodulation including frequency or tone modulation.

FIG. 16( c) illustrates an envelope-modulated signal with sub-carriermodulation including PCM coding using OOK modulation.

FIG. 16( d) illustrates an envelope-modulated signal with sub-carriermodulation including direct sequence PN coding using OOK modulation.

FIG. 16( e) illustrates an envelope-modulated signal with sub-carriermodulation including a composite modulation scheme involving CW, toneand OOK schemes.

FIG. 16( f) illustrates an envelope-modulated signal with sub-calTiermodulation including a composite modulation scheme involving CW,sub-carrier tone detection, and OOK schemes.

FIGS. 17( a), 17(b), and 17(c) show three examples of composite signalmodulation schemes that may be used to provide an air interface for aTier-1, non-heterodyne receiver, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 18( a) shows a non-heterodyne receiver suitable for use fordemodulating and decoding the signal of FIG. 17( b) and the signal ofFIG. 18( b), in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 18( b) shows a signal as in FIG. 17( b), to be used by thenon-heterodyne receiver in FIG. 18( b).

FIG. 19( a) is a block diagram of a non-heterodyne receiver which can beused to implement a Tier-1 receiver. FIG. 19( b) shows a signal as inFIG. 17( c), to be used by the non-heterodyne receiver of FIGS. 19( a).

FIGS. 20( a.i)-(a.ii) include two flow charts that illustrate theoperation of communication logic in an ELP transceiver, one which usesthe Tier-2 circuit to perform destination filtering (i.e., determiningwhether a communication request is directed to it) and the second whichuses the Tier-1 circuit to perform destination filtering, respectively,in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 20( b) is a flow chart that illustrates the operation ofcommunication logic of an appliance that wishes to asynchronouslyinitiate communication with a partner ELP radio communication system.

FIG. 20( c) is another flow chart that illustrates the operation ofcommunication logic for an appliance that uses an ELP radiocommunication system and in a dynamic environment, continuously polls todetect a partner ELP radio communication system and collaborates withit.

FIGS. 21( a)-(b) depict a flow chart that illustrates communicationlogic in an ELP transceiver whose Tier-1 receiver is operating in lowduty cycle mode based on a timing system, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 22( a)-(b) illustrate two flow charts for communication logic inan ELP transceiver where Tier-2 circuit first starts with a receiveoperation, in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a circuit diagram illustrating a non-heterodyne receiver, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 shows computer simulated signal waveforms that explain theoperation of the integrating bootstrap detector circuit in FIG. 23, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

To facilitate comparison across figures, like elements in FIGS. 1-24 areprovided like reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention realizes low operating power while maintaining lowlatency, asynchronous communication. One advantage of the presentinvention is a radio communication system in which a low power receiverhas the requisite sensitivity and communication bandwidth to supportasynchronous communication.

As mentioned above, FIG. 1 illustrates average power consumption as afunction of duty cycle for a typical low-power transmitter, a“heterodyne” receiver and a “non-heterodyne” receiver. A desirable radioreceiver is one that operates at a moderate to modest average powerconsumption, but which has an acceptable duty cycle so undue delay inthe communication process is avoided. A heterodyne receiver's averagepower consumption cannot be significantly reduced by a duty cycle methodwithout sacrificing latency.

Many conventional low-power analog radio receivers are super-heterodynebased. Such receivers spend much of their power running thelocal-oscillator (LO) and mixer to down-convert the RF input signal toan intermediate frequency. In these receivers, power consumptionincreases as the carrier frequency is increased. Use of a phase-lockedloop (PLL) to generate the LO further increases the power load. If thereceiver also uses a digital detector (e.g. to receive direct sequencespread spectrum {or “DSSS”} modulated signal), high speed-logic for thecorrelator further increases power consumption.

FIG. 2 illustrates an ELP radio communication system, according to oneembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, ELP radioapparatuses 2 and 22 communicate over a link with one another. ELP radioapparatuses 2 and 22 each include a Tier-1 circuit (indicated byreference numerals 4 and 24, respectively) which is a full transceiver,where the receiver portion (i.e. receiver 9 or 29) is “non-heterodyne”.ELP radio apparatuses 2 and 22 also include Tier-2 circuits 3 and 23.Receivers 6 and 26 in Tier-2 circuits 3 and 23 are of higher performance(in terms of sensitivity, SNR, bandwidth or data rate) and may beimplemented by heterodyne receivers. Therefore, Tier-1 receivers 9 and29 are lower power than receivers 6 and 26.

FIG. 3 shows an ELP radio communication system similar to the system ofFIG. 2, except that Tier-1 and Tier-2 transceivers 3 and 4 share acommon antenna, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. More generally, in a multi-tier radio of the presentinvention, the transceivers in an ELP radio apparatus may use a commonantenna, separate antennas, or a multiplexed antenna.

FIG. 4 shows a third ELP radio communication system, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 shows ELP communicatingsystem including ELP radio apparatuses 32 and 42. Unlike Tier-1 circuit4 of ELP radio apparatus 2 of FIG. 2, Tier-1 circuit 34 of Appliance #5does not include a receiver. Tier-1 circuit 44 of Appliance #6 does notinclude a transmitter.

FIG. 5 shows a fourth ELP radio communication system similar to the ELPsystem of FIG. 4, except that Tier-1 and Tier-2 circuits 34 and 3 ofAppliance #7 (element 51) share a common antenna, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. Similarly, Tier-1 and Tier-2circuits 44 and 23 in Appliance #8 (element 41) share a common antenna.

In one embodiment of the invention, the Tier-1 transmitter 8 may use anon-heterodyne method to generate an RF carrier by using an oscillatorthat includes a negative resistance device (e.g. a tunnel diode, a Gunndiode, a TRAPATT diode or an IMPATT diode).

FIG. 6( a) shows a fifth ELP radio communication system similar to theELP system of FIG. 5, except that Tier-2 circuit 63 of ELP radioapparatus 62 of Appliance #9 (element 61) lacks a transmitter, andTier-2 circuit 73 of ELP Radio Apparatus 72 of Appliance #10 (element71), lacks a receiver, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. Thus, Tier-2 circuit 63 of ELP radio apparatus 62 uses thetransmitter 8 of Tier-1 circuit 34. Similarly, Tier-2 circuit 73 of ELPradio apparatus 72 uses the receiver 29 of Tier-1 circuit 44. Thisasymmetric configuration can be useful in certain compact and low costapplications. Furthermore, each appliance has an asymmetricconfiguration between Tier-1 and Tier-2 circuits.

FIG. 6( b) shows a sixth ELP radio communication system similar to theELP system depicted in FIG. 5, except that ELP radio apparatus 82 uses acommon transmitter circuit 88 that fulfills the transmitter functions ofboth Tier-2 circuit 83 and Tier-1 circuit 84, in accordance with anotherembodiment.

FIG. 6( c) shows a seventh ELP radio communication system similar to theone depicted in FIG. 6( b) except that Appliance #14 (element 91) hasTier-2 circuit 93 and Tier-1 circuit 94 using a common transmittercircuit 95, according to another embodiment which is useful for routingapplications.

FIG. 6( d) shows a preferred embodiment of an ELP radio communicationsystem similar to the one depicted in FIG. 3 except that Tier-1 circuit84 and Tier-2 circuit 83 in ELP radio apparatus 82 of Appliance #15,share a common antenna, and Tier-1 circuit 94 and Tier-2 circuit 93 inELP radio apparatus 92 of Appliance #16 also share a common antenna.Further, Tier-1 circuit 84 and Tier-2 circuit 83 in ELP radio apparatus82 of Appliance #15 (element 81) share a common transmitter 88.Likewise, Tier-1 circuit 94 and Tier-2 circuit 93 in ELP radio apparatus92 of Appliance #16 (element 91) share a common transmitter 95. Thisconfiguration is therefore symmetric and useful in large mesh stylenetworks, for example.

In each of the embodiments of FIGS. 2-6, with a modest communicationbandwidth in a Tier-1 circuit, the non-heterodyne receiver reliablydetects a request for asynchronous communication from a radio partner.The request may provide additional information necessary to efficientlyset up subsequent communication conducted using Tier-2 (or higher) radiocircuits, which are of higher performance than Tier-1 circuits asdetermined by one or more of the following parameters: data rate,sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio, bit-error-rate, spectral-efficiencyand energy per bit.

FIG. 7 shows an ELP radio apparatus in which a low-power, non-heterodynereceiver 100 is used in a Tier-1 circuit. As shown in FIG. 7, a radiosignal is received by the non-heterodyne receiver through antenna 101and tuned by channel-tuning element 102 including, for example, discreteor distributed tuning elements. The tuned signal is amplified bylow-noise, RF amplifier 103 (optional) and demodulated by diode-detectorbased, RF-demodulator 104. Such detector can be selected from a diodedetector, such as a Schottky diode, a tunnel diode, a back diode, or ametal-insulator-metal (MIM) diode, and a transistor. The demodulatedsignal is then amplified in 105 and filtered by 106 to reducenoise/interference (optional). The demodulated and filtered signal is abase band signal that is decoded in decoder 107 to recover the encodedinformation and determine if it is a valid wakeup signal from a partnerradio apparatus.

In one embodiment of the ELP transceiver shown in FIG. 7, RF amplifier103 may comprise a tunnel diode, a Gunn diode, a TRAPATT diode, or anIMPATT diode, operating along the negative slope region of the diode'scurrent-voltage characteristics to perform as an RF amplifier. Thisembodiment provides higher receiver sensitivity, superiorsignal-to-noise ratio while consuming low power and a more compactlayout.

Further, because a tunnel diode has a very sharp nonlinear region, atunnel diode may also be used as a detector in the ELP transceiver ofFIG. 7, such as crystal detector 104. Variants of tunnel diodes (e.g.back-diode and MIM {metal-insulator-metal} diode) can similarly be usedas detectors.

In one embodiment of the ELP transceiver shown in FIG. 7, RF amplifier103 may comprise a regenerative circuit (i.e. using positive feedback)amplifier.

In FIG. 7, communication controller 108 and Tier-2 transceiver 109 aredrawn in dotted lines to indicate that, while they are elements of theELP radio system, they are not elements of the heterodyne receiver 100.Central processing unit (CPU)110, is a computing element that providesoverall control, but is not part of the ELP radio system either.

In one embodiment of an ELP radio communication system, within theenergy budget, the CPU (or preferably an MCU {Microcomputer Unit}) underprogram control may provide part of the functionality of ‘CommunicationController’ 108 or even ‘Decode and Wakeup Logic’ 107.

With an efficient data modulation scheme (e.g., amplitude shift keying{ASK} using an efficient analog-to-digital converter {ADC}), more bitscan be transmitted per symbol period, with or without the use of errorcorrection techniques. The shorter Tier-1 broadcast can reducetransmitter battery load.

According to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7 inwhich CPU 110 is provided in the radio communication system, CPU 110 maybe implemented by a custom integrated circuit or in one or moreprogrammable logic circuits. Suitable programmable logic circuits mayinclude, for example, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or complexprogrammable logical devices (CPLDs). In a custom integrated circuitimplementation, CPU 110 may be provided as an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC). Other embodiments may include amicro-computer unit (MCU) with an ADC circuit.

In one embodiment, a sufficiently strong output signal detected by RFdemodulator 104 may be used as a binary signal representing a requestsent by a communication partner to initiate asynchronous communication.FIG. 13 shows an ELP radio suitable for use in a very simpleenvironment. Upon detecting the signal, Tier-2 (or higher) transceiver109 may be activated to communicate with the partner. Activationincludes taking Tier-2 transceiver 109 from a power-saving state (e.g.,a “deep-sleep” or “hibernate” state) to a power ‘on’ or normaloperational state.

In one embodiment of the present invention, non-heterodyne radioreceiver 100 is always operating. In another embodiment of the presentinvention, non-heterodyne radio receiver 100 is turned ‘on’ (i.e. placedin an active state from an inactive state) for a short period of timeregularly, based on a predetermined schedule. This active period can beeither a fixed period of time, or a fixed period of time where the timebase is synchronized with a local environment time (cf. FIGS. 21(a)-(b)), or a predetermined pseudo-randomly assigned duration. Forexample, the operation of the non-heterodyne radio receiver can beselected to be between 0.1% and 50% duty cycle.

The sensitivity of non-heterodyne receiver 100 may vary according to theenvironment in which the ELP transceiver is used. Normally, sensitivityis a design parameter and one of several ranges of sensitivity can beused. For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, thereceiver sensitivity can be better than −40 dBm. In another embodiment,more restrictive conditions may impose a higher sensitivity on thereceiver (e.g., better than −60 dBm).

The radio signal may be modulated directly on the radio frequencycarrier (f_(c)). FIG. 8( a) shows low power non-heterodyne receiver 800in one embodiment of an ELP radio system for receiving a signal that ismodulated directly on the RF frequency carrier (f_(c)). The spectrum ofa signal that is modulated directly on the RF frequency carrier is shownin FIG. 14( a). As compared to non-heterodyne receiver 100,non-heterodyne receiver 800 lacks RF amplifier 103. Detector 104recovers the base-band signal. As the radio signal is directly modulatedon the carrier signal, the request for communication may be detected atthis point. For greater sensitivity, the recovered signal is amplifiedby 105 before decoding at 107. The result of signal detection decideswhether or not to use Tier-2 transceiver 109. Receiver 100 (whichincludes low power RF amplifier 103) provides higher granularity. Eachtier of the multi-tier circuit may use the same or different carrierfrequency and frequency spectra. FIG. 8( b) is a variation of the ELPradio system of FIG. 8( a), with inclusion of low noise RF amplifier 103resulting in higher receiver sensitivity.

FIG. 9 shows an ELP radio system including an amplitude-modulated (AM)receiver circuit for an environment with a strong RF field and weaknoise or interference sources, according to one embodiment of thepresent invention. In FIG. 9, low noise amplifier 103, amplifier 105 andfilter 106 need not be provided. Fewer parts and a simpler scheme allowthis low cost system to respond to an asynchronous communication requestand to activate a high-performance, power efficient, Tier-2 transceiver.

In many cases, because of amplifier noise considerations, the signal isfirst modulated on a sub-carrier frequency (f_(sc)), which is thenfurther modulated on the carrier signal. The spectrum of a signal thatis modulated on a sub-carrier is shown in FIG. 14( b). FIG. 10illustrates an ELP radio system for use with a signal that is modulatedon a sub-carrier, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 10, in the manner already discussed withrespect to FIG. 8( a) above, the carrier signal is detected, amplifiedand filtered by detector 104, amplifier 105 and filter 106,respectively. Recovered signal 160, which is modulated on the subcarrier(f_(sc)), is demodulated by 161. Second demodulator 161 may be, forexample, a frequency discriminator. Second demodulator 161 may also beany of the demodulators discussed above, except that demodulation isperformed on a subcarrier signal.

Amplifier 105 can be a conventional amplifier or a regenerative circuitthat uses positive feedback.

Modulating the request information on a subcarrier frequency provides alevel of robustness over modulation on the carrier directly, yet themodulation scheme is reasonably simple and overcomes 1/f type noise.Such noise immunity is particularly important under low currentoperations of the amplifier. The subcarrier may be demodulated using aheterodyne receiver without incurring a large power penalty. This isbecause the local oscillator for a sub-carrier (f_(sc)) is a much lowerfrequency than the RF carrier (f_(c)) and, therefore, does not impose ahigh power penalty that is typical of the RF carrier frequency. Further,the heterodyne based sub-carrier demodulator may be powered only whenthe input signal power is sufficiently strong.

According to the present invention, a low power radio receiver maydemodulate a frequency-modulated (FM) RF carrier without usingheterodyne principles. FIG. 11 shows an ELP radio system thatdemodulates an FM modulated RF carrier (f_(c)), according to oneembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, the signal isdemodulated by a frequency discriminator or a filter with sharp edge204. Frequency discriminator 204 may be realized by discrete componentsor a bulk material filter (e.g., a surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter orpiezo-electric crystals). FIG. 12 shows an ELP radio system thatdemodulates f_(c) using a bulk material frequency discriminator,according to one embodiment of the present invention.

In an environment where a high level of noise or interference ispresent, a non-heterodyne receiver circuit discussed above may generatefalse wakeup events, leading to energy-wasteful, unnecessary activationof Tier-2 (or higher) radio circuits. Such false wake-up events may beavoided by suitably modulating information using any of many modulationschemes that are compatible with the first demodulator. Suitablemodulation schemes include, but are not limited to:

-   -   a. AM modulation using one or more frequencies—requires a        receiver including an amplifier, narrow band filter and        detector;    -   b. slow FM modulation of a carrier that is AM modulated—e.g.,        the receiver detects the FM modulation and decodes the embedded        digital data modulated on the carrier;    -   c. digital data encoding using ASK—under this technique, digital        data are encoded as amplitude variations in the carrier signal;        (e.g., a four-level encoding scheme represents two bits per        symbol interval and an eight-level scheme represents three bits        per symbol interval);    -   d. digital data encoding using On-Off keying (OOK)—under this        common form of ASK, presence of a carrier signal encodes a        binary ‘1’, and absence of the carrier signal (or diminished        amplitude) encodes a binary ‘0’ (“presence or absence of tone”).        To conserve power, the digital data may be decoded using low        speed logic circuits or the central processing unit (e.g., CPU        110) operating in a reduced speed mode;    -   e. digital data encoding using Frequency-Shift Keying (FSK)—a        technique similar to ASK, except that the digital data are        encoded as discrete changes in the frequency of a carrier        signal;    -   f. Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM)—a square wave with its        pulse-width modulated in time; can be detected according to the        variations in the average value of the waveform;    -   g. Pulse-Position Modulation (PPM)—under this scheme, a group of        M bits is encoded in a single transmitted pulse that is shifted        in time by one of the corresponding 2^(M) possible time-shifts;    -   h. Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM)—under this scheme, binary bits of        code words are used to modulate a carrier or sub-carrier signal        (e.g., using an OOK modulation);    -   i. Pulse-Amplitude Modulation (PAM)—under this scheme, the        message information is encoded in the amplitude of a series of        signal pulses;    -   j. PN encoding—typically, in a “direct sequence” encoding        scheme, bits of a pseudorandom-noise (PN) sequence modulate a        carrier or subcarrier (e.g., in an OOK manner).

In addition, robustness can be enhanced using error-correctiontechniques on the transmitted data, such as: i) parity or errorcorrecting code (ECC) coded data; ii) forward error correction (FEC)coded data.

FIGS. 15( a) through (e) illustrate a number of envelope-modulated RFcarrier modulation schemes, including: FIG. 15( a) continuous wave (CW),FIG. 15( b) frequency or tone modulation, FIG. 15( c) PCM coding usingOOK, FIG. 15( d) direct sequence PN coding using OOK, and FIG. 15( e) acomposite scheme involving CW and OOK schemes. In FIGS. 15( a) through(e), the modulated waveforms and the output waveform at the diodedetector (e.g., diode detector 104 of FIG. 7) are shown. In FIGS. 15(b)-(d), where information is modulated onto the carrier envelope, theoutput waveforms of the digital decoder (e.g., decoder 107 of FIG. 7)are also shown.

Notice that in digital data modulation schemes, such as pulse-codemodulation (PCM), amplitude-shift keying (ASK), and on-off shift keying(OOK), shown in FIGS. 15(c) through (e), the signal comprises a stringof symbols stretched in time. In the case of OOK modulation, the symbolscorrespond to either ‘0’ or ‘1’. However, one of the conveniences ofusing an ASK modulation scheme is that more than one bit of informationcan be sent in each symbol period, although it does require a linearreceiver and good SNR.

FIGS. 16( a) through (f) illustrate a number of envelope-modulatedsignals with sub-carrier modulation, including: FIG. 16( a) continuouswave (CW), FIG. 16( b) frequency or tone modulation, FIG. 16( c) PCMcoding using OOK, FIG. 16( d) direct sequence PN coding using OOK, FIG.16( e) a composite modulation scheme involving CW, tone and OOK schemesand FIG. 16( f), a composite modulation scheme involving CW and f_(sc)frequency detection, with no low frequency tone modulation, followed byan OOK modulation scheme (e.g., a pseudorandom-noise (PN) codemodulation and data). The demodulator output and decoder output signalsare also shown.

In a multi-tier radio system of the present invention, signaling (i.e.,waveform) may be designed to initially use a ‘wakeup friendly’modulation aimed at the non-heterodyne receiver. Suitable modulationsinclude energy sense, long tone and long PN sequence. The function ofthe relatively simple modulation is to trigger the non-heterodynereceiver to change its operating mode to a higher gain, or to activate adifferent filter or demodulator at the cost of temporarily increasingpower consumption in the non-heterodyne receiver.

An AM receiver in a multi-tier radio system of the present invention mayinclude multiple detectors to accommodate a composite signal, modulatedwaveform. Suitable modulation may involve one or more of the followingmodulation schemes (data are typically encoded as OOK or ASK):

-   -   a. Energy sense (Carrier CW) or sub-carrier frequency detection        (using notch filter);    -   b. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), sub-carrier energy sense        (Sub-carrier CW);    -   c. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), sub-carrier energy sense        (Sub-carrier CW), data;    -   d. Sub-carrier energy sense (sub-carrier CW), data;    -   e. Sub-carrier energy sense (sub-carrier CW), pseudorandom-noise        (PN-Code) combined with on-off keying (OOK);    -   f. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), sub-carrier energy sense        (Sub-carrier CW), pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with        on-off keying (OOK);    -   g. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), pseudorandom-noise        (PN-Code) combined with on-off keying (OOK), data;    -   h. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), sub-carrier energy sense        (Sub-carrier CW), pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with        on-off keying (OOK), data;    -   i. Sub-carrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), pseudorandom-noise        (PN-Code) combined with on-off keying (OOK), data;    -   j. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), single tone;    -   k. Sub-carrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), single tone;    -   l. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), single tone, data;    -   m. Sub-carrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), single tone, data;    -   n. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), single tone,        pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with on-off keying (OOK);    -   o. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), single tone,        pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with on-off keying (OOK);    -   p. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), single tone,        pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with on-off keying (OOK),        data;    -   q. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), single tone,        pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with on-off keying (OOK),        data.    -   r. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), multiple tones in time        sequence;    -   s. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), multiple tones in        time sequence;    -   t. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), multiple tones in time        sequence, data;    -   u. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), multiple tones in        time sequence, data;    -   v. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), multiple tones in time        sequence, pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with on-off        keying (OOK);    -   w. Subcarrier energy sense (CW modulation), multiple tones in        time sequence, pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with on-off        keying (OOK);    -   x. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), multiple tones in time        sequence, pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with on-off        keying (OOK), data;    -   y. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), multiple tones in        time sequence, pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with on-off        keying (OOK), data;    -   z. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), multiple tones at the same        time;    -   aa. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), multiple tones at        the same time;    -   bb. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), multiple tones at the        same time, data;    -   cc. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), multiple tones at        the same time, data;    -   dd. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), multiple tones at the        same time, pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with on-off        keying (OOK);    -   ee. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), multiple tones at        the same time, pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with on-off        keying (OOK);    -   ff. Carrier energy sense (Carrier CW), multiple tones at the        same time, pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with on-off        keying (OOK), data;    -   gg. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), multiple tones at        the same time, pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with on-off        keying (OOK), data;    -   hh. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), pseudorandom-noise        (PN-Code) combined with frequency-shift keying (FSK);    -   ii. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), pseudorandom-noise        (PN-Code) combined with frequency-shift keying (FSK), data;    -   jj. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), single tone,        pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with frequency-shift        keying (FSK);    -   kk. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), single tone,        pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with frequency-shift        keying (FSK), data;    -   ll. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), multiple tones in        time sequence, pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with        frequency-shift keying (FSK);    -   mm. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), multiple tones in        time sequence, pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with        frequency-shift keying (FSK), data;    -   nn. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), multiple tones at        the same time, pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with        frequency-shift keying (FSK); and    -   oo. Subcarrier energy sense (Sub-carrier CW), multiple tones at        the same time, pseudorandom-noise (PN-Code) combined with        frequency-shift keying (FSK), data.

A non-heterodyne radio receiver of the present invention may furtherfilter interference signals using one or more of the followingtechniques:

-   -   a. use of RF carrier signals sub-modulated with one or more        tones;    -   b. use of one or more narrow filters to select desired tones;    -   c. use of one or more narrow band filters, based on        piezo-electric crystals, to select the desired tones;    -   d. use of one or more narrow band filters, based on        piezo-electric crystals, to accept unwanted tones and to        determine detection threshold.

A non-heterodyne radio receiver of the present invention may furtherfilter interference signals using a modulated signal that carriesdigital data with distinct codes. Suitable codes include one or more ofthe following:

-   -   a. Free standing Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM) code;    -   b. Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM) code, corresponding to a distinct        receiver ID (instance model);    -   c. Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM) code, corresponding to        information types (i.e., information subscription model).

A non-heterodyne radio receiver of the present invention may furtherfilter interference signals using a modulated, digitally coded signalfor error reduction. Any error correction code may be used with thenon-heterodyne radio receiver. Some examples for correction codesinclude: (a) data bit stream with forward error correction (FEC) and (b)data bit stream with a pseudorandom-noise (PN) spreading code.

Despite not being expressly shown in the figures, other functionalelements may include, for example, a Voltage-Controlled Oscillator(VCO). VCOs are customarily used in frequency-modulation (FM) circuits,frequency synthesis and in digital applications such as frequency-shiftkeying (FSK) and phase modulation (PM). Other functional elements thatmay be common or shared by the multi-tier radio system are the controlor sequencing logic circuits.

The following are examples of functional elements that may also beshared in a multi-tier, hierarchical radio system of the presentinvention:

-   -   a. low noise radio-frequency (RF) amplifier;    -   b. RF power amplifier;    -   c. local oscillator;    -   d. voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO);    -   e. phase-locked loop (PLL);    -   f. amplifier;    -   g. control/sequencing logic and control/sequencing logic        circuit;    -   h. voltage regulator;    -   i. power supply;    -   j. antenna;    -   k. filters.

Digital decoding is an effective way to increase receiver SNR for thewakeup (i.e. turn ‘on’) signal. Given that only a very small datapayload needs to be received (in the best case, just one single bit),the modest sensitivity of a crystal-detector based receiver may beaugmented by trading-off the moderate communication bandwidth formodulation that can be decoded by another detector (i.e., gaining SNRwithin the Shannon-Hartley law) and matching the communication rangesensitivity of both the Tier-1 and Tier-2 receiver channels.

FIGS. 17( a), 17(b) and 17(c) show three examples of composite signalmodulation schemes that may be used to provide an air interface for aTier-1, non-heterodyne receiver, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention. One advantage of this air interface is itssimplicity and ease of implementation, while being robust and flexible.The three examples are the composite modulation schemes already shownabove as FIGS. 15( e), 16(e), and 16(f). In FIG. 17( a) the compositemodulation directly modulates a long CW pulse onto an RF carrier signal,followed by PCM/OOK modulation in which the PCM coded data are modulatedby OOK onto the RF carrier. In FIG. 17( b) the composite modulationscheme modulates a long CW pulse onto a subcarrier signal, followed by aperiod of frequency or tone modulation onto the subcarrier signal, thenfollowed by PCM/OOK modulation onto the subcarrier signal. In FIG. 17(c), the composite modulation scheme modulates a long CW pulse onto asubcarrier signal, followed directly by the PCM/OOK modulation withoutperforming a low frequency tone modulation on the subcarrier signal.This method uses the subcarrier's tone itself for detection. In allthree cases, the long CW pulse can be easily resolved by a low poweranalog detector (e.g., a diode detector), even in poor signal to noiseratio conditions. The frequency or tone modulation can also be easilydetected using a frequency discriminator. Successful detection by theseanalog detectors may then activate a digital decoder to receive digitaldata in the PCM/OOK portion of the signal.

Alternatively, instead of the PCM/OOK modulation scheme, data may alsobe encoded in any amplitude modulation or phase/frequency modulatedbaseband signal. Digital data encoding provides greater reliability. Thedata packets may be encoded for error detection, error correction orboth, using one or more data integrity techniques, such as parity,Hamming or error correcting code (ECC) or forward error correction(FEC).

FIG. 18( a) shows an ELP receiver suitable for use in demodulating anddecoding the signal of FIG. 17( b) or FIG. 18( b), in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 18( a), thesubcarrier modulated signal is sequentially demodulated and decodedusing power detector 1801, tone detector 1802 and digital detector 1803,each being more sophisticated than the previous demodulation or decodingcircuit but each being more power demanding (e.g., requires highercurrent) than the previous demodulation or decoding circuit. Powerdetector 1801 detects the long subcarrier CW pulse. Tone detector 1802detects the tone modulated portion of the signal. Digital decoder 1803decodes the PCM/OOK portion of the signal.

As shown in FIG. 18( a), initially only power detector 1801 is powered.Tone detector 1802 and digital decoder 1803 are both in power savingstates. When the long subcarrier CW pulse is detected (e.g., using adiode detector), power detector 1801 causes tone detector 1802 to powerup. Detection by tone detector 1802 of the frequency modulation (e.g.,using a frequency discriminator), or long tone (B, cf. FIG. 18( b)),provides greater assurance that a bona fide communication request isreceived. Tone detector 1802 then causes digital decoder 1803 to bepowered up and receive data (C, cf. FIG. 18( b)). As shown in FIG. 18(a), digital decoder 1803 includes bit slicer 1811 for identifying theindividual bits that are encoded, shift register 1812 andcomparator/correlator 1813 to match the received bits against a storedpredetermined codeword, and logic circuit 1814 to power up moresophisticated circuits (e.g., a Tier-2 receiver, such as a heterodynereceiver, MCU or ADC) to further process the received signal.Comparator/correlator 1813 may also be used to compare the received dataagainst an identify code assigned to the receiver. (The ID may also bein the form of a PN code). A match indicates that the communicationrequest is directed towards the present receiver. The Tier-2 receivermay then take over to conduct the requested communication.

In one embodiment, power detector 1801 operates at a low current level,(e.g. approximately 0.1 μA). Tone detector 1802 requires a relativelyhigher current to operate (e.g., ˜10 μA) and for a relatively longerperiod of time (e.g. 1 ms). Digital decoder 1803 requires an even highercurrent for operation (e.g. 40 μA) and an even longer period of time(e.g., approximately 10 ms). This progressive increase in powerrequirement, albeit at very low duty cycle, results in a much smallerincrease in overall power footprint.

FIG. 19( a) shows an ELP receiver suitable for use in demodulating anddecoding the signal of FIG. 17( c) or FIG. 19( b), in accordance withyet another embodiment of the present invention. (Note: Like elements inFIGS. 18( a) and 19(a) are assigned the same reference numerals and thustheir operations are not described in the following paragraphs to avoidrepetition.) As shown in FIG. 19( a), the subcarrier modulated signal(A′, cf. FIG. 19( b)) is sequentially demodulated and decoded usingdemodulator 1802 a; the fsc tone decode and wakeup logic circuit is 1802b, and the digital detector is 1903. 1802 a demodulates the sub-carrierand generates the baseband signal that is also used by wakeup logiccircuit 1802 b. 1802 b also measures the energy of the sub-carrier. Notethat 1802 b essentially measures the sub-carrier energy coming from thenarrow band filter that is tuned for sub-carrier frequency fsc (B′, cf.FIG. 19( b)). Those of ordinary skill in the art would recognize thatfsc is normally much higher in frequency than the tone modulation usedin the embodiment depicted in FIG. 18( a) and processed by tone detector1802 b, thus it is quicker to measure. In one exemplary embodiment,subcarrier frequency fsc may be approximately 100 kHz while the tonemodulation of FIG. 18( b) could be approximately 10 kHz. The tone decodeand wakeup logic circuit 1802 b causes bit slicer 1811 and digitaldecoder 1903 to be powered up. Digital decoder 1903 includes a shiftregister 1812 that receives an external clock signal 1905. As in FIG.18( a), the correlator 1813 and the wakeup logic circuit 1814 decode thePN portion of the signal (C′, cf. FIG. 19( b)) and fully power up theCPU and Tier-2 radio. In addition to this, the shift register 1812 indigital decoder 1903 generates a data buffer 1904 that receives the datapayload (D′, cf. FIG. 19( b)) following the PN code in the compositewaveform that can be stored in memory for further processing by the CPU.

The ELP receiver circuit according to the embodiment depicted in FIG.19( a) also includes a switch 1910 that enables the signal from theantenna 101, after passing through the channel-tuning element 102, to bepre-amplified by a low noise amplifier (LNA) 103, before the signalpasses through detector 104. The switch 1910 is activated once it isconfirmed that a bona fide communication request is received and Tier-2receiver is fully powered up. This arrangement results in an enhancedSNR for communication, with low energy consumption because the LNA 103is only powered up when the signal has been validated by all stages ofthe non-heterodyne receiver. The enhanced SNR yields greater channelcapacity; thus, the received data bit rate can be higher, with superiorBER.

FIGS. 20( a.i)-(a.ii) include two flow charts for illustrating theoperation of a communication logic circuit in an ELP transceiver usingthe Tier-2 circuit to perform destination filtering (i.e., determiningwhether a communication request is directed to it) and the Tier-1circuit to perform destination filtering, in accordance with the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 20( a)(i), at step 2001, the ELP transceiveris in a quiescent state (e.g., in a listen mode with only an energydetector in the Tier-1 circuit powered). The ELP transceiver remains inthis state until (step 2002) the output value of the energy detectorexceeds a threshold. At procedure 2003, shown in FIG. 20 as steps2004-2008, the ELP transceiver activates the next higher level detectorto resolve the next signal feature in the received signal. At step 2004,the next higher level detector is activated, which may also set a timerand a threshold (step 2005) as appropriate. If the timer expires withoutresolution of the next signal feature, this next level ELP detector isdeactivated and the ELP transceiver returns to step 2001. At step 2007,while the timer has not expired, this next level detector determines ifthe signal feature assigned to it has been resolved (i.e., thedetector's threshold is reached). When the detector's threshold isreached, the timer is reset (step 2008) and the ELP transceiveractivates a third level of detection. In this manner, depending on thesignal convention, there may be a number of successively moresophisticated detectors, each carrying out detection of successivesignal features. Each such detector would be directed by a procedure(indicated in FIG. 20( a)(i) as procedure 2009) of the type describedabove with respect to procedure 2003. Digital data decoding (e.g.,PCM/OOK coded or ASK coded data) may also be provided in the Tier-1circuit (2010).

When all signal features resolved by the Tier-1 circuit of the ELPtransceiver are resolved, the Tier-1 circuit is disabled (step 2011). Atstep 2012, a Tier-2 circuit is activated. Upon activation, the ELPtransceiver broadcasts a message using the Tier-2 circuit to inquireabout the communication request and may provide its own statusinformation to the communication requester (step 2013). The Tier-2circuit then waits to receive a message from the communication requester(step 2014). At step 2015, destination filtering is performed (i.e. therequester may send a message to indicate whether or not this ELPtransceiver is its intended communication partner). If communicationwith the ELP transceiver is not intended, at step 2019, the Tier-2circuit is deactivated and the Tier-1 circuit is reactivated, so thatthe ELP transceiver may return to state 2001. Otherwise, the ELPtransceiver begins message exchange with the communication requester(step 2016). When communication completes, the Tier-2 circuit isdeactivated (step 2017). In these communication systems, the ELPtransceiver is part of an appliance that provides services requestedover the communication conducted at step 2016. At step 2018, theappliance provides the requested service (e.g., open a garage door). Oneof ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the logic stepsinvolved in FIG. 20( a)(i), as described above, impose a regime of morepower consumption on the receiver device because higher power Tier-2receiver is used for destination filtering.

FIG. 20( a)(ii) is a flow chart for a communication logic circuit in anELP transceiver using the Tier-1 circuit to perform destinationfiltering. In FIG. 20( a)(ii), as indicated by steps 2001-2009,detection of signal features may proceed in substantially the samefashion as discussed in FIG. 20( a)(i). When digital data are exchangedusing the Tier-1 circuit (step 2051), the communication requester mayspecify in the digital data its intended communication partner and/orother context information about the communication request. This mayinclude, for example, a message encoding the purpose of thecommunication, e.g. a general broadcast event, a notification, an alarmmessage, or a proximity discovery message. At step 2052, the ELPtransceiver determines if it is the intended communication partner andif needs to respond (based on context information). If not, the ELPtransceiver returns to step 2001. Otherwise, the Tier-1 circuit isdeactivated (step 2011) and the Tier-2 circuit is activated (step 2012).Since destination filtering is not be performed using the Tier-2circuit, steps 2013-2015 are eliminated. Subsequent operationssubstantially follow steps 2016-2019 as described above. One of ordinaryskill in the art would recognize that the steps involved in FIG. 20(a)(ii) impose a regime of more power consumption on the transmitterdevice and less power consumption on the receiving device.

Destination filtering in the Tier-1 circuit may be more efficient inavoiding false wakeup calls, but it requires more sophisticated digitaldata processing circuits at the Tier-1 level. Additional contextinformation in the data payload may further minimize the need to respondby using the Tier-2 circuit (e.g. if it is a repeat broadcast or if itis a low priority, one way notification), or provide information tofacilitate communication with the Tier-2 circuit (e.g. RF channel,encryption method, time delay, time slot etc).

FIG. 20( b) is a flow chart for illustrating the operations of an ELPradio communications device that wishes to contact a destinationappliance. It uses a multi-tier architecture whereby a Tier-1transmitter establishes initial communication with a destinationappliance. The device is initially waiting for a need to communicatewith a distant ELP radio apparatus (step 2060). When the device has aneed to communicate, it powers up the Tier-1 transmitter (step 2061) andsets a number of parameters (step 2062). The device forms and transmitsa composite signal to a communication partner (step 2063). The devicethen listens for any received messages, using the Tier-2 radio (step2012). A ‘Packet-Listen interval’ timer is started (2064), during whichtime the Tier-2 radio waits and listens to receive a reply signal from apotential communication partner. If reply from a communication partneris received, a decision making step (2066) routes the device intoperforming a Tier-2 message sequence (2066), after which the Tier-2radio is turned off (step 2017), and the device or appliance function ispreformed (e.g. opening a garage door or unlocking another device).After the appliance function is completed, the ELP radio system returnsto step 2060.

If at step 2066, data from an ELP communication partner is not receivedwithin the prescribed time, then the Tier-2 radio is turned off (step2017) and a ‘Retry-Count’ counter is incremented (2067). If the‘Retry-counter’ reaches the limit set by the ‘Retry-limit’ parameter,the communication partner is deemed unreachable, exception handling isperformed per functional design requirement and the ELP radio devicereturns to step 2060. As long as the retry counter has not reached itslimit, then the ELP radio waits for the ‘retry delay interval’ to lapse(step 2070), before retrying with a new sequence of powering Tier-1transmitter beginning with (2061).

FIG. 20( c) is a flow chart for illustrating the operations of an ELPradio communication system that is capable of detecting proximity withanother ELP radio communications device equipped with a Tier-1 receiverand communicating with it. This is typical of a dynamic environmentinvolving relative position of devices as they move in and out ofcommunication range. The procedure illustrated by the flow chart startsby setting parameters ‘packet-listen interval’ and ‘proximity pollinterval’ (step 2070). After waiting for the proximity poll interval(step 2071), Tier-1 transmitter is turned on (step 2061) and a compositesignal transmitted (step 2063). Tier-2 radio is turned on (2012) for a‘packet-listen interval’ to try to listen for potential communicationfrom a partner within communication range (2064). If a valid reply fromanother ELP radio apparatus is received during this period (2065), adecision is made to perform the Tier-2 message sequence (2066), turn offTier-2 radio (2017) and perform the appliance function (2018) per designrequirement. If a valid reply is not received, Tier-2 radio isimmediately turned off (2017) and the system returns to step 2071 towait for the next proximity poll-interval.

FIGS. 21( a)-(b) show flow charts for illustrating the operations of anELP transceiver that is based on a timing system involving operation ofa Tier-1 receiver in low duty cycle, in accordance with one embodimentof the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 21( a)-(b), an ELPtransceiver includes a time-based signal that is received in an externaltiming message. In one embodiment of an ELP radio communicationtransceiver, such external timing may be provided by a communicationpartner or another device or clock in the local environment. Referringto FIG. 21( a), initially, at step 2101, the ELP transceiver sets aclock synchronization interval timer. When the clock synchronizationtimer expires (as confirmed by step 2102), the ELP transceiver activatesa Tier-2 receiver circuit and sets a receiver timer (step 2103). Priorto expiration of the Tier-2 receiver timer (as confirmed by step 2104),the Tier-2 receiver checks for a timing message (step 2105). If theTier-2 receiver timer expires without receiving a timing message, theELP transceiver deactivates the Tier-2 receiver (step 2108) and returnsto step 2102. Otherwise (i.e. a timing message is received), thereceiver timing clock is adjusted to synchronize with the environmenttime received in the timing message (step 2107), Tier-2 receiver circuitis deactivated (step 2108) and the ELP transceiver returns to step 2102.

Simultaneously with the operation of clock synchronization, the Tier-1receiver circuit is periodically activated every “poll interrupt” period(using the clock which in turn stays synchronized with environment'stime base), polling for any ELP wakeup composite waveform broadcast(“poll interrupt”; steps 2110-2112). It is the responsibility of thebroadcaster to ensure that broadcast is initiated at a time when otherELP transceivers in the environment have turned on their Tier-1receiver. Prior to the Tier-1 circuit being activated (step 2001), atstep 2112 a duty-cycle timer for the Tier-1 receiver circuit is set toensure it stays operational for that period. Prior to the expiration ofthe duty-cycle timer, the Tier-1 circuit resolves signal features andperforms Tier-1 digital data processing in the manner discussed abovewith respect to FIGS. 20( a.i) and 20(a.ii). Steps of signal resolutionin the Tier-1 circuit in FIGS. 21( a)-(b) (e.g., steps 2001-2012)corresponding to those carried out in FIG. 20( a) are therefore providedthe same reference numerals. Referring to FIG. 21( b), step 2009 isinitiated after completion of step 2008 (cf. FIG. 21( a)) and repeatsthe macro step 2009 a number of times, N. During any of the iterationsof steps 2004-2008 in the macro step 2009, if the detector does notsuccessfully detect desired signal feature in set time control flows tostep 2113 (cf. FIG. 21( a)). When the operations in the Tier-1 receivercomplete, the Tier-2 receiver is activated and a Tier-2 receiver timeris set (step 2114). The Tier-2 receiver timer provides an intervalduring which the Tier-2 receiver circuit destination filtering isperformed. Specifically, a message is received from the communicationrequester identifying the intended communication partner. At steps 2115and 2116, if the Tier-2 receiver timer expires without receiving themessage from the communication requester, the ELP transceiver returns tostep 2113. Otherwise (i.e. such a message is received), the ELPtransceiver resets the Tier-2 receiver timer (step 2117) and determinesif it is the intended communication partner (step 2118). If so, datacommunication (step 2016) and performance of requested service (step2018) are carried out in the manner discussed with respect to FIG. 20(a) above. The ELP transceiver then returns to step 2113 (cf. FIG. 21(a)).

Using the method of FIGS. 21( a)-(b), even the low power Tier-1 circuitneed not be powered all the time. Depending on the predetermined dutycycle, substantial power savings can be further realized.

FIGS. 22( a)-(b) show flow charts for a communication logic circuit inan ELP transceiver which combines the approaches of FIGS. 20( a) and20(b), but its Tier-2 circuit starts by first listening to a broadcastby the communication-originating partner in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. This is useful for applicationsthat require the originator to broadcast large context information sothat a receiver can determine if it wishes to participate in Tier-2communication. FIG. 22( a) shows a flow chart for an ELP transceiverthat uses the Tier-2 circuit to perform destination filtering.Similarly, FIG. 22( b) shows a flow chart for illustrating theoperations of an ELP transceiver that uses the Tier-1 circuit to performdestination filtering. Steps in FIGS. 22( a) and 22(b) that correspondto steps in FIGS. 20( a), 20(b) and 21(a)-(b) are provided the samereference numerals. The detailed description of these steps is thereforeomitted.

FIG. 23 is a circuit diagram of a non-heterodyne receiver according toone embodiment of the present invention. The circuit comprises a lowpower detector and amplifier stage 341, AC coupled amplifier stages 351,361, and 371, a bootstrap integrating detector stage 380, and anamplifier stage 390. Each of the stages 341, 351, 361 and 371 isenergized by power provided by a power supply 384. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 23, this power supply voltage is 3.6 V. The use of ACcoupling amplifier stages is an important attribute of the embodimentdescribed in FIG. 23 that provides a simpler way to realize desiredsignal amplification due to the removal of the DC offset and drift, andthe elimination of the complexity of DC amplification as well assuppressing low-frequency noise of the amplification circuit.

The low power RF detector and amplifier stage 341, depicted in FIG. 23,realizes detector and amplifier action using the same bias current fromthe DC power supply 384. This embodiment results in high signal gain andsensitivity, superior noise figure, as well as conserving battery loadcurrent. One additional advantage is fewer electronic parts and,therefore, a lower manufacturing cost for the circuit. In one embodimentof the present invention, the low power detector and amplifier stage 341makes use of a single diode 342 and transistor 344 biased in a commonbase configuration, arranged as depicted in FIG. 23. In thisconfiguration, negative voltage swing of the signal from the antenna isharvested by the non-heterodyne receiver. Other embodiments of thepresent invention may use multiple diodes, as will be described below.The combined RF detector and amplifier circuit 341 reuses the biascurrent between transistor 344 and diode detector 342, reducingoperating current requirement. Moreover, in this configuration, detector342 and transistor 344 are optimally impedance-matched because thetransistor's base-emitter (BE) diode is operating at the same current asdiode detector 342. Thus, both present almost identical dynamicresistance to each other. The matched impedances result in a moreefficient energy transfer between diode detector 342 and transistor 344,allowing higher power gain and achieving essentially the lowest noisefigure attainable for the given low level of bias current. Accordingly,the SNR of the low power detector and amplifier 341 is significantlyenhanced, compared with circuits available through ordinary art. Thiscircuit can also be implemented using other types of transistors (e.g.FET, MOSFET, etc.).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the low power detectorand amplifier stage may include more than one detector diode that can bebiased by splitting the emitter current of transistor 344 to combinesignals from multiple antennae. Such a detector and amplifier stage isuseful for realizing one or more of the following: omni-directional RFcommunication, antenna diversity, space diversity, etc.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the low power detectorand amplifier circuit 341 may omit diode detector 342. The base-emitterjunction of transistor 344 provides a non-linear transfer function tosubstitute for diode detector 342, while also acting as a transistoramplifier (operating in class A-B mode). This configuration does notinvolve 3 db power coupling loss. Further, because the bias voltage forpowering the diode detector is not present in this embodiment, thevoltage saved can instead be used to increase the collector loadresistance of the transistor amplifier, providing even higher gain. Italso has the advantage of reduced parts cost.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which includes thelow power detector and amplifier 341 depicted in FIG. 23, suitablevalues for resistances R17, R31 and R34, and the bias current providedto transistor 344 may be selected to achieve a total gain of 30 dB.

In yet another embodiment of present invention, the low power detectorand amplifier 341 includes multiple diode detectors 342 that can beconnected in parallel to the emitter of transistor 344, thus enhancingthe power sensitivity of the circuit with almost no gain penalty due tospurious shunting of signal by the dynamic impedance of other diodes.Another configuration may use multiple diode detectors connected inseries, which even though requiring a higher drive voltage, conservesthe battery load current. Consequently, a lower collector voltage oftransistor 344 is available for transistor stage gain. Anotherconfiguration may connect the diode detectors in parallel for a loweroperating voltage. Such a configuration is particularly suited forapplications in which lower bias voltages are desired (e.g., 3.6 V).

The bootstrap integrating detector 380 depicted in FIG. 23 includestransistors 381 and 382, connected as shown, and powered by voltagesupply 384. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 23, the bias voltage atthe base terminal of transistor 381 is bootstrapped to the detector'soutput by bias voltage established by the base-emitter voltage (V_(BE))of 382 and biased through resistor R₃₂. Resistor R₃₂ also preventsshorting the AC signal with the base-emitter junction of transistor 382,thereby isolating the AC signal from bias loading. This biasingarrangement sensitizes the base-emitter junction of 381 by moving theoperating point very close to the diode cut-in point in the diode'svoltage-current (V/I) characteristic curve. In the embodiment depictedin FIG. 23, transistor 382 and diode 382 are wired as a “follower”(i.e., the voltage of the base terminal “follows” the voltage of theemitter terminal) across R35. The result is that the base-emitterjunction of transistor 381 is biased at a constant voltage at the onsetof the junction's conduction, even when the voltage at the emitterterminal in transistor 381 is being raised by the integration of the ACsignal. This effect results in the base swing of transistor 381capturing a larger portion of the peak-to-peak energy in the AC signalentering the bootstrap integrating detector 380. Capacitor C₄₃ andresistor R₃₅ introduce a time-constant in the circuit that allows forintegration of the signal. This circuit consumes negligible current whenthere is no input signal.

FIG. 24 shows a simulation result of the effect produced by thebootstrap integrating detector of FIG. 23. 2401 shows the trace in timeof an AC signal with a preselected subcarrier frequency f_(sc), asmeasured at a point before capacitor C₃₇. Trace 2402 shows the voltageat the base terminal of transistor 382 and trace 2403 shows the voltageat the emitter terminal of transistor 381. Notice that, aside fromtransient effects, the difference in voltage between traces 2402 and2403 at any given time is approximately constant. In the embodiment ofthe present invention depicted in FIG. 24, this value corresponds toapproximately 0.6 V, which is the conduction edge voltage of a typicalsilicon diode. Other voltage values can be used, depending on thespecific model and type of transistor used in a particular application.

FIG. 24 demonstrates that an AC signal with a peak-to-peak value V₁ ofapproximately 400 mV, can be integrated into a signal with a peak valueVi of approximately 930 mV. By comparison, a perfect diode detectorwould produce an output of only 200 mV for the same AC signal input.Thus, the bootstrap integrating detector shown in FIG. 23 provides animprovement of several times the best sensitivity that can be obtainedby state-of-the-art devices.

In one mode of operation, an ELP radio communication system includes twoappliances, A and B. The non-heterodyne receiver of the first appliance(i.e. Appliance A) may decode and identify, from a communication requestmessage sent by the second appliance (i.e. Appliance B), the class ofappliance B. The message from appliance B may be broadcast and mayspecify which one of several appliances it intends to communicate with,or it may specify the general class (type) to which appliance A belongs.Appliance A, upon receiving the message using the non-heterodynereceiver, initiates communication with the appliance B, using a higherperformance radio system.

To summarize, the Tier-1 non-heterodyne receiver in an ELP transceivermay be used as a low-cost pager receiver to allow a potential compatiblecommunication partner to wake up the Tier-2 radio circuits of the ELPtransceiver for efficient communication. An example of such a systemincludes a security access device and a tracking device. In the securityaccess device, a battery operated door opener, for example, may wait fora wireless key. Because of the low-power requirements of the ELPtransceiver, the battery that operates the door opener may provide powerfor a year or more without recharging or replacement. Similarly, atracking device, which may be used in mobile property management, waitsfor an inquiry of its location. Again, the low-power requirements allowthe battery in such a tracking device to operate over a considerablylonger period of time than previously possible.

Therefore, the present invention provides an efficient energy footprintfor low communication duty-cycle applications by significantly reducingthe average radio-communication power footprint with low communicationlatency. In battery-operated applications, the present inventionsignificantly lengthens the time between battery recharge or replacementor, equivalently, the present invention enables the use of smaller,lower-rating, or less expensive batteries. The present inventiontherefore provides on-demand, asynchronous communication that uses theavailable RF spectrum and RF range more efficiently. Consequently, thebase system does not saturate and allows many more devices to co-existat a higher device population density. Because of the low-powerrequirement of the ELP transceiver, portable applications, includingsuch an ELP transceiver may be powered by non-conventional, lower poweror lower cost sources of power (e.g. solar, vibration harvesting, andthermopile).

In some applications, the present invention allows not only robust lowlatency asynchronous communication, but also the ability toasymmetrically re-distribute the average energy budget amongst thecommunication circuits. For example, the Tier-1 transmitter's operativeduration or power level could be adjusted, so that the receiver (e.g.,an AM receiver) can operate at a higher bandwidth and/or a greateramplification.

This invention is applicable to a wide variety of electromagnetic wavecommunication systems including those in the infrared and optical bands.

As will be appreciated, the invention is capable of other and differentembodiments and its several details are capable of modifications invarious respects that will be obvious to one skilled in the art, allwithout departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and thedescriptions included herein are to be regarded as illustrative innature and not restrictive.

I claim:
 1. A radio communication system, comprising a first radiocommunication device, which comprises: a first communication circuitconfigured to receive a communication request and to provide a wake-upsignal upon receiving the communication request; wherein the firstcommunication circuit comprises a first receiver circuit fordemodulating and amplifying the communication request without using aradio frequency (RF) local oscillator; wherein the first receivercircuit comprises: a detector demodulator diode for demodulating thecommunication request, the detector demodulator diode comprising anoutput for providing a demodulated signal obtained from thecommunication request; a common base transistor amplifier comprising aninput for receiving the demodulated signal obtained from thecommunication request, the input being at an emitter of the common basetransistor amplifier; and a circuit for providing a bias current to thedetector demodulator diode and the common base transistor amplifier, thecircuit being connected in series with the detector demodulator diodeand a base-emitter junction of the common base transistor amplifier tocause at least part of the bias current to flow through both thedetector demodulator diode and the base-emitter junction of the commonbase transistor amplifier; wherein the first radio communication devicefurther comprises a second communication circuit comprising a receiver,a transmitter, or a transceiver, having an operating state and a powersaving state, wherein said second communication circuit switches fromthe power saving state to the operating state upon receiving the wake-upsignal.
 2. A radio communication system as in claim 1, wherein thereceiver, the transmitter or the transceiver of the second communicationcircuit comprises a heterodyne receiver, a heterodyne transmitter, or aheterodyne transceiver.
 3. A radio communication system as in claim 1,wherein the first receiver circuit is a part of a transceiver.
 4. Aradio communication system as in claim 3, wherein a transmitter circuitin said transceiver of said first receiver circuit is shared with thesecond communication circuit.
 5. A radio communication system as inclaim 1, further comprising a second radio communication device forcommunicating with the first radio communication device, wherein thesecond radio communication device comprises: a first communicationcircuit comprising a transmitter, configured to transmit thecommunication request; and a second communication circuit comprising areceiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver, having an operating state anda power saving state, wherein after the transmitter of the second radiocommunication device transmits the communication request, said secondcommunication circuit of the second radio communication device switchesfrom its power saving state to its operating state.
 6. A radiocommunication system as in claim 5, wherein the transmitter in the firstcommunication circuit of the second radio communication device comprisesan oscillator based on a negative resistance device selected from agroup consisting of a tunnel diode, a Gunn diode, an IMPATT (IMPactionization Avalanche Transit-Time) diode, and a TRAPATT(TRAapped, PlasmaAvalanche Triggered Transit) diode.
 7. A radio communication system asin claim 5, wherein the first communication circuit of the second radiocommunication device further comprises a receiver that does not have aradio frequency (RF) local oscillator.
 8. A radio communication systemas in claim 5, wherein one of the first and second radio communicationdevices is a stationary device and the other one of the first and secondcommunication devices is a mobile device; and wherein the communicationrequest comprises a composite signal modulated by one or more modulationtechniques selected from the group consisting of: amplitude shift keying(ASK), on-off keying (OOK), frequency shift keying (FSK), pulse widthmodulation (PWM), pulse position modulation (PPM), pulse code modulation(PCM), pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) and direct sequence spreadspectrum (DSSS), presence or absence of a tone, and presence or absenceof an radio frequency (RF) signal with respect to a threshold.
 9. Aradio communication system as in claim 1, wherein the first receivercircuit is operable to determine that the communication request isdirected to the first radio communication device.
 10. A radiocommunication system as in claim 1, wherein the second communicationcircuit is operable to determine that the communication request isdirected to the first radio communication device.
 11. A radiocommunication system as in claim 1, wherein the receiver in the secondcommunication circuit is a higher performance radio receiver than thefirst receiver circuit.
 12. A radio communication system as in claim 1,wherein the communication request is to be provided on a signalmodulated using one or more of amplitude modulation (AM), frequencymodulation (FM) and continuous wave (CW) schemes.
 13. A radiocommunication system as in claim 1, wherein the communication request isto be modulated on a subcarrier of a predetermined frequency (f_(SC)),and the detector demodulator diode is configured to recover thecommunication request modulated on the subcarrier.
 14. A radiocommunication system as in claim 13 wherein the first radiocommunication device further comprises an antenna for receiving thecommunication request; wherein the detector demodulator diode is coupledto receive the communication request from the antenna withoutamplification of the communication request between the antenna and thedetector demodulator diode; wherein the first radio communication devicefurther comprises an amplifier for amplifying the communication requestdemodulated by the detector demodulator diode but modulated on thesubcarrier.
 15. A radio communication system as in claim 1, wherein thecommunication request is to be provided on a signal modulated under aheterogeneous signaling scheme comprising one or more modulationtechniques selected from the group consisting of: amplitude shift keying(ASK), on-off keying (00K), frequency shift keying (FSK), pulse widthmodulation (PWM), pulse position modulation (PPM), pulse code modulation(PCM), pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) and direct sequence spreadspectrum (DSSS), presence or absence of a tone, and presence or absenceof an radio frequency (RF) signal with respect to a threshold.
 16. Aradio communication system as in claim 1, wherein wherein said detectordemodulator diode is selected from the group consisting of a Schottkydiode, a tunnel diode, a back diode and a metal-insulator-metal (MIM)diode, wherein the diode is or is not implemented by a transistor.
 17. Aradio communication system as in claim 16, wherein the first receivercircuit comprises a regenerative-circuit.
 18. A radio communicationsystem as in claim 1, wherein the first receiver circuit comprises anradio frequency (RF) amplifier preceding the detector demodulator diode.19. A radio communication system as in claim 18, wherein the RFamplifier comprises a regenerative-circuit.
 20. A radio communicationsystem as in claim 1, wherein the first receiver circuit is configuredto be powered at predetermined time intervals; wherein the predeterminedtime intervals are to occur regularly with respect to time synchronizedwith a local environment clock, or at a predetermined pseudo-randomlyselected time interval.
 21. A radio communication system as in claim 1,wherein the first communication device is part of a security accessdevice.
 22. A radio communication system as in claim 1, wherein thefirst communication device is part of a tracking device.
 23. A radiocommunication system as in claim 1, wherein the first communicationcircuit and the second communication circuit share an antenna.
 24. Aradio communication system as in claim 1, wherein the first receivercircuit and the receiver of the second communication circuit usedifferent carrier frequencies or frequency spectra.
 25. A radiocommunication system as in claim 1, wherein the first receiver circuitis operable to receive a device type code from the communicationrequest.
 26. A radio communication system as in claim 25, wherein thecommunication request is to further provide a unique identifier (ID).27. A radio communication system as in claim 1 configured so that upondetecting the communication request, the first receiver circuit operatesat a higher gain or activates a preselected filter or demodulator.
 28. Aradio communication system as in claim 1, wherein the first receivercircuit is operable to detect and determine the proximity of a radiocommunication device if the radio communication device transmits thecommunication request.
 29. A radio communication system as in claim 1wherein the communication request is to be modulated on a sub-carrier ata predetermined frequency and wherein the first receiver circuitcomprises a crystal resonator for providing sub-carrier frequencydetection.
 30. A radio communication system as in claim 29, wherein thecrystal resonator is operable to operate at frequencies from 20 KHz to550 KHz.
 31. A radio communication system as in claim 1 furthercomprising a central processing unit (CPU) or a microcomputer unit(MCU).
 32. A radio communication system as in claim 31, wherein thecentral processing unit or the microcomputer unit comprises programmablelogic circuits.
 33. A radio communication system as in claim 31, whereinthe MCU comprises a CPU and an analog-to-digital converter.
 34. A radiocommunication system as in claim 1 wherein the diode is configured to bebiased by only the bias current flowing through both the diode and thebase-emitter junction of the common base transistor amplifier.
 35. Aradio communication system as in claim 1 wherein the first radiocommunication device further comprises an antenna for receiving thecommunication request and an amplifier for amplifying the communicationrequest obtained from the antenna; wherein the detector demodulatordiode is coupled to receive the communication request amplified by theamplifier.
 36. A radio receiving method performed by a receiver circuitand comprising: detecting an RF (radio frequency) signal by a diodedetector having at least one detector demodulator diode and providing ademodulated signal obtained from the RF signal; amplifying thedemodulated signal from said diode detector by at least one transistorhaving an emitter receiving the demodulated signal; providing a biascurrent to the diode detector and the transistor by a circuit connectedin series with the diode detector and a base-emitter junction of thetransistor to cause at least part of the bias current to flow seriallythrough both the diode detector and the base-emitter junction of thetransistor; wherein the receiver circuit does not have a RF localoscillator.
 37. A method as in claim 36, wherein the RF signal ismodulated under a heterogeneous signaling scheme comprising one or moremodulation techniques selected from the group consisting of: amplitudeshift keying (ASK), on-off keying (00K), frequency shift keying (FSK),pulse width modulation (PWM), pulse position modulation (PPM), pulsecode modulation (PCM), pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) and directsequence spread spectrum (DSSS), presence or absence of a tone, andpresence or absence of an RF signal with respect to a threshold.
 38. Amethod as in claim 36 wherein the entire bias current flowing throughthe diode detector flows serially both through the diode detector andthe base-emitter junction of the transistor.